Why an Experiential Learning Based School Picked Indiahikes For Their Himalayan Adventure

This summer, Prakriti School chose the Outdoor Leadership Program facilitated by Indiahikes for their second Himalayan adventure.

At Indiahikes, we design immersive experiential learning treks for students which use trekking and adventure as a medium to impart leadership and life skills.

Prakriti School has their own unconventional approach to learning. Their education model focuses on experiential and socio-emotional learning. 

Let’s just say that there was a mutual spark of interest in each other's approaches!

At Prakriti School, they believe in co-creating knowledge, wherein students play a collaborative role in their learning process.  Their education model focuses on facilitation over teaching. 

The students work together with the teachers in taking charge of their learning through shaping the direction, resources and experiences based on their own observations and interest. In doing so, students reach a state they call “deep learning”. 

How do our values of experiential learning intersect?

At Prakriti School, they strongly uphold the belief that experiential learning can happen through a variety of mediums. In order to achieve a holistic understanding of a topic, they say that it is important to visualise, contextualise, touch, feel and observe. 

Any new topic, language or concept at Prakriti School is researched and approached from a variety of angles to achieve deep learning. 

In addition to this, Prakriti School aims to impart socio-emotional learning, where students are encouraged to engage in self-reflection in different forms and are supported in expressing themselves more confidently. 

At Indiahikes, we strongly believe that young people must trek. We believe that addressing the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of children is the need of the hour. One that does not get sufficient and holistic support within the four walls of a classroom. 

We want young people to see themselves as a part of the natural ecosystem, one they belong to, and one that they will be responsible for. 

We believe that trekking allows young people to break barriers and face their own limitations such as fears of the dark, animals, mud.. and even a fear of the unknown. 

In a beautiful amalgamation of objectives and an alignment of both of our visions we facilitated two Outdoor Leadership Programs between the 7th-10th of May this year to Deoriatal and Bijli Mahadev Temple with 49 students in total from Prakriti School. 

The idea was to design an immersive trekking experience combined with reflective sessions facilitated by our trek leaders which would result in deep learning. 

What were the objectives of the Outdoor Leadership Program?

The basic objectives of this experiential learning trek were to:

• Facilitate trekking, camping and wilderness skills among students
• Impart nature identification and observation skills
• Impart a spirit of sustainable trekking
• Lay the foundation for the development of life skills such as empathy, care and resilience

How do the Deoriatal Trek and Bijli Mahadev Trek lend themselves as the perfect treks for experiential learning?

Faizan, our experienced Trek Leader who enjoys facilitating our experiential learning treks tells us why he thinks both the Bijli Mahadev Trek and Deoriatal Trek are perfect for experiential learning. He led the Bijli Mahadev trek with students from Prakriti School and said the following about the Deoriatal Trek:

“The trek takes students through the dense jungles of the Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary. The endangered Himalayan musk deer, Himalayan tahr, Himalayan black bear and other exciting flora and fauna keep students on their toes, on the lookout for the next spotting”.

The Bijli Mahadev trek on the other hand route is a shorter trail. Students do not get tired and there is more time and energy left to take part in experiential learning activities. 

Since the route we follow at Indiahikes is not the usual pilgrim route, the exclusivity and silence allows for more opportunities for students to connect with nature and take part in the different experiential learning activities without any external disturbances.

Do You Want a Sneak Peek into our Immersive Activities and Reflections? (Example of the Deoriatal Trek)

Nature Scavenger Hunt (Sari to Deoriatal)

Students paired up for a nature scavenger hunt during the trek from Sari to Deoriatal. This engaging activity required them to observe their surroundings keenly, notice the flora, fauna, and all the natural changes along the trail. 

Open Up The Senses (Deoriatal Lake)

Upon reaching Deoriatal Lake, students participated in an 'Open Up The Senses' activity. This sensory immersion was designed to induce calmness and gratitude which would allow them to fully appreciate the surreal beauty of the lake and its surroundings. Students shared with us that this activity left them feeling a new sense of calmness. 

Green Sweep (Descent from Deoriatal Lake)

Students took part in a 'Green Sweep' during their descent from Deoriatal Lake. Through this clean-up initiative students managed to leave the lake area in a better state than they found it. Seeing and tackling the effects of pollution in fragile ecosystems instils a sense of responsibility and care for the environment among the students in a way which is quite moving.

Summit Climb (Baniyakund to Summit)

For the students, the opportunity to watch the sun rise from the summit was breathtaking. Watching this everyday miracle from a stunning point in the mountains is one that is intrinsically valuable, one that needs no introduction, no facilitation or conclusion. 

The experience of the trek, the accomplishment of the summit climb and the treat of a glorious sunrise are enough to cement a deep appreciation of nature and a strong sense of empowerment for having achieved this.

Reflection Session

In the concluding session, students reflected on their individual experiences within the group. They identified areas of personal growth, challenges faced, and lessons learned. This reflection helped them recognize the value of their trek experience and consider how they could apply these insights to other areas of their lives.

What were the challenges and takeaways?

While some of the activities and the overall experiential learning plan was similar for the Bijli Mahadev Trek, the experience and feedback was quite different.

We noted that the students were quite low on energy and exhausted on the day of the long summit climb at Chandrashila. Some of them didn’t eat enough food which made it difficult to fully enjoy the experience. 

In spite of some of the exhaustion faced by some students, it was wonderful to see students motivate and take care of each other. 

In the Bijli Mahadev Trek, since it is easier and does not require too much intense physical preparation, students were so full of energy and enthusiastic during that they even asked if they could use some time to sketch their surroundings to absorb it completely!

The ease of the trek allowed the students to go beyond the trek itself and even form great relationships with all those accompanying them on the trek. At the end of the trek, they even wrote meaningful notes of gratitude for all members of the support team!

At the end of the trek, students mentioned that they took the readily accessible resources and luxuries in the city for granted. They were quite introspective in the concluding sessions post the trek. They reflected upon their own feelings of being calm, peaceful and in the moment while on the trek and while taking part in activities.

Why did an experiential learning based school pick Indiahikes for their Himalayan adventure?

Through the Outdoor Leadership Programs at Indiahikes, students are guided through a holistic facilitation in the challenging conditions of the mountains.

In doing so, students are exposed to situations beyond their comfort zone. In experiencing this they are challenged to adapt and move forward. 

A life skill, which could take years to build within a classroom setting.

We invest in the ability of our trek leaders to facilitate such outdoor learning experiences through intensive training and continuous upskilling.

When it comes to the safety of our trekkers and especially that of young students, we want schools to rest with the peace of mind that they are in good hands. Trek Leaders assigned to lead student treks are Wilderness First Responders (WFR) and NOLS certified.

In their decision to pick Indiahikes to facilitate transformative treks to Deoriatal and Bijli Mahadev, Prakriti school created a wonderful opportunity for their students. An opportunity where students not only faced physical challenges but also engaged in reflective practices, fostering gratitude, empathy, and a profound connection to nature.